insignia
Americannoun
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a badge or distinguishing mark of office or honor.
a military insignia.
-
a distinguishing mark or sign of anything.
an insignia of mourning.
noun
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a badge or emblem of membership, office, or dignity
-
a distinguishing sign or mark
Usage
Insignia, originally the plural of Latin insigne, began to be used as a singular in the 18th century, and the plural insignias appeared shortly thereafter. All uses— insignia as a singular or plural and insignias as a plural—are fully standard. The singular insigne still occurs, but insignia is more common.
Etymology
Origin of insignia
1640–50; < Latin, plural of insigne mark, badge, noun use of neuter of insignis distinguished (by a mark); in- 2, sign
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Already, German tanks and armored personnel carriers, emblazoned with the military’s black Iron Cross insignia, are training in Lithuania’s Rudninkai forest close to the border with Belarus, Russia’s closest ally.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
The name, Cartel of the Suns, derives from the sun insignia found on the uniforms of Venezuelan soldiers, much like stars on U.S. military uniforms.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2025
In one shot, a flag with insignia resembling the Wagner group's trademark skull logo could be seen at what the reporter said was a Russian base in Mali.
From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025
No visible insignia identified them as state or federal — or even legal authorities at all.
From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025
Ana Diaz, a student who, like Miguel, wore the insignia of the raised fist, observed that only rich women suffer from such pains; proletarian women do not complain even when they give birth.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
